The Top Airport Lounge Of 2025 Offers Chef-Driven Menus And A Serious Upgrade In Comfort

Airport lounges are a game-changer if you travel even semi-regularly. Instead of cramming into an overcrowded gate or buying overpriced water bottles, you get a quieter place to relax, free snacks, and fast Wi-Fi. Some of the world's best airport lounges even offer showers or spas. Not to mention, indulging yourself in an airport lounge is one of the best things to do immediately if your flight is delayed to minimize stress. The highest-end lounges take it up a notch, with more perks and maximal comfort. In a study of user data, Yelp named the American Express Centurion Lounge the "Most Loved Airport Lounge" for 2025 (via Passenger Terminal World).

The Centurion Lounge is a credit card-based lounge, meaning it's accessible to premium travel credit card users. Yelp's rankings come from a mix of reviews, page views, page activity, and star ratings. Scores were weighted equally across all the lounges reviewed, and the Centurion Lounge came out on top, followed by Delta Sky Club in second place and United Club in third.

American Express Centurion Lounges are known for their luxury. Among their deluxe features, Centurion Lounges have meals curated by top-tier chefs inspired by local cuisine, a full bar with signature cocktails, high-speed Wi-Fi, and shower suites. At Dallas' Centurion Lounge, for example, you'll find a Southwestern-inspired menu conceived by Chef Dean Fearing, with items like veggie enchiladas and cornbread pudding. Plus, accommodations are ample. "The seating is plenty, with regular tables and chairs in addition to bar stools at the bar and windows along with sofa style seating," wrote Tripadvisor reviewer @160varund of the Centurion Lounge in New York's LaGuardia Airport.

The biggest drawback to the Centurion Lounges is their exclusivity. Though there are a few ways you can score free access to airport lounges, Centurion Lounge access is limited to those who either have an American Express Platinum Card or Delta SkyMiles Reserve card (business and personal versions are eligible for both). If you do hold either of these cards, you'll also need to show a same-day boarding pass and government identification. Cardholders can bring guests into the lounge for a fee.

As of this writing, there are 15 Centurion Lounges across the U.S., including most major travel hubs (notably, Chicago is an exception). Worldwide, there are 10 international locations, including in Hong Kong, London, and Sydney. One of the unique features of the Centurion Lounge is its digital waitlist. This is especially helpful as lounges are becoming more popular, having increased in search volume by 18% from 2023 to 2024, according to the Yelp study. With the digital waitlist, card members can add themselves through the Amex app and generate a code for check-in through the app, too, without needing to show a physical card.

If you're not an American Express or Delta SkyMiles Reserve cardholder, three of the top six airport lounges ranked by Yelp offer passes that anyone can buy: American Airlines Admirals Club, Air France Lounge, and Minute Suites (though Minute Suites are technically just private, reservable suites, not a lounge or club). For these lounges, you can buy a one-time pass for the day of your travel, typically online or at the lounge's reception desk.